Clawen • What comes next

|| CHAPTER 47 ||

           

"So, did you have a good day?" Owen asked as Maisie got in the backseat. She put her seatbelt on and starting telling Owen everything that happened at school. Owen had been driving Maisie to and from school ever since she started, except for a few times where Claire did it. Mostly because Claire was heavily pregnant at this point and also very much still sleep most mornings.

When they arrived at home, Maisie ran around the house until she found Claire. Running past the nursery she noticed Claire unpacking some stuff. Seeing as there was only a week till the due date, Claire had gone crazy with getting everything ready. Even things that didn't need unpacking until much later.

"Mom look" Maisie said holding out a paper for Claire to look at. After straightening herself up, Claire took the paper from the girl, to get a closer look. Before she could see what it was though, Maisie said "I got an A in English" Voice filled with excitement and with a big smile on her face. Claire looked from the paper, to the girl in front of her. Pulling her into a hug, she said "I'm so proud of you Maisie" Muffled into the girl's hair. Maisie had a hard time actually hugging Claire, but she made it work, by sliding to the side when she could.

"Did you show dad?" Claire asked as she turned around to get another thing out of a box. "Yes, in the car" Maisie said, the smile very clear on her voice. "Did you guys buy dinner on the way home?" Claire asked. Maisie nodded, humming a yes, before she ran to her room.

When Claire was done unpacking the last couple of boxes, she walked down to find Owen. Only he was nowhere to be found. Walking out the front door, she found him to her right, on the bench he had hung up in the ceiling. Slowly swaying back and forth in his own world. He didn't notice her until she got closer. He gave her a lazy smile and gestured for her to join him. She let her body slump down next to his, leaning into him, as he put his arm securely around her.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, almost a whisper. She smiled to herself, appreciating how much he cared about her. She sighed content with the situation and said "Fine" as she snuggled further into him. He turned his head to look at her and waiting till she did the same. Turning to look back at him she found something she couldn't quite place, in his eyes. Tilting her head in wonder, she asked "What?" In a soft voice. "Are you really okay?" He then asked. She smiled up at him and tilted her head the other way. "I am really okay Owen" She said and went in for a kiss. Meeting her half way, he pulled her closer with the arm around her shoulder.

When they pulled apart, they heard Maisie cough in the doorway. Both their heads turned to the girl, who was fiddling with her hands, avoiding their eyes as she inspected the wooden floor on the porch. "Maisie sweetie, what is it?" Claire asked, leaning a bit forward to get a better look at the girl. "Nothing really" She said. "Sweetheart tell us" Claire insisted, making Maisie let out a nervous sigh. "I'm just hungry...that's all" She eventually said. Owen squinted his eyes at her. "That's all huh?" He asked and she nodded, apparently convincing Owen that, that was all it was. Because he stood up and but an arm around the girl, walking her inside as he asked what she wanted to eat.

The two of them started on something that looked like a four-course meal, to Claire. The whole kitchen was filled with who knows what, everywhere. She leaned against the doorway to watch them cook, wanting to stay there, until they noticed her. Maisie on her stepstool next to Owen, so she could properly see what he was doing. She watched him teach her how to peel potatoes 'the right way' as he had called it. Claire could see how much attention Maisie put into it. Baking a cake for her birthday had been rather boring, seeing as there wasn't much that had to be done really. But making all of this food and with Owen as the teacher. It was bound to be fun.

An hour or so later, Maisie ran into Claire's office to tell her the food was ready. The same big proud smile on her face as she had earlier.

While they ate, Owen asked Claire how it was going with the Dinosaur protection group. She had stepped back a bit, not quit or anything, but just taken some time away after the disaster. Both because Maisie needed her full attention, plus it would just add to the number of dinosaurs that she had had enough of already. She had left a trusted employee in charge though and had gotten weekly updates. She had been thinking about going back but then she got pregnant and decided against it. At least until the baby was born, and then of course however long she needed after.

Maisie told them about the part of her day that she hadn't told Claire yet. About how she had made a couple more friends over the past week and how much she liked her English teacher, Ms. Smoak. "She's really pretty" She told them. "Like really pretty" She then added, dragging the 'y' out for at least five seconds. "Is that so" Owen said with a smirk, looking over at Claire who was trying not to laugh. Because there was nothing to laugh about really, Maisie was simply just being adorable and speaking her mind. The girl giggled at Owen's question and looked between him and Claire. "Don't get any ideas dad" She then said, incredibly serious with fire burning in her eyes. He held up his hands in surrender. "I couldn't dream of it" He told her, looking over at Claire quickly to find her holding back a laugh and covering her mouth as to not show the huge grin she was wearing. "Promise?" Maisie said, fork pointed at him, obviously trying to scare him. "I promise. I will try nothing. I love your mom too much anyways!" He said, his voice getting much softer at the end, as he looked over at Claire. "Good" Maisie said and went back to her food, as if nothing ever happened.

Later, after they were done eating, Owen went out to clean up the mess of a kitchen, they had left. About half way through, Claire came out to join him. "Let me help you" She said, grabbing a plate to put in the dishwasher. "No, its fine, you can go lay down" He said sincerely, knowing that the backpain Claire had started to get, could get extremely bad. "I want to help you" She said in a soft voice, leaning in to whisper "If I may" Knowing that would break him. He nodded immediately and handed her another plate. She smiled to herself, at how soft the man next to her really was after all.

When they were almost done and only needed the counter tops and a couple pots, Claire told Owen to go join Maisie at the dining table and help with her homework. He did as he was told, after a couple attempts at making Claire do it instead. "I got this Owen, I can handle a couple of pots" She had told him, before he eventually left her to it.

Owen was leaning over Maisie's math book, trying to figure out how it all worked. He used to be good at math, he really did. But they had changed so much, it was hard to keep up. Maisie found it extremely funny that he got slightly irritated at the questions.

As Maisie tried explaining to Owen how she ended up with the result she did, Claire came walking in. Neither of them paying much attention as Owen tried his best to understand the new way of math.

Claire stood there watching them for a couple of seconds, hands holding onto her back for dear life. "Guys" She said. Owen hummed, to signal he was listening, as he continued with the math.

"Owen" Claire said, much louder, the same tone she used to give him commands in, back at the park, to get him to look at her. He did so with questioning eyes. She tilted her head and looked right back at him with wide open eyes, trying to make him understand what was happening.

It took him about five seconds before he realized.

Alright ladies and gents, I think you know what the haps is, but I like doing it anyways lol.